“The Trojans’ staff has been at work on the class of 2013 for months,” says ESPN.

Those months of work led up to April 15, the start of the spring evaluation period for football.

For USC, like every big football school, recruiting begins long, long before signing day. If you’re a Division I prospect, coaches have been following you all through your junior season.

April 15 is the first day that Division I coaches can call the players they’re recruiting. If you didn’t get a call on the 15th, it’s always possible that a coach is waiting to call – they have until May 31 to do it – but think about this: if you were a coach playing extremely competitive Division I football, how long would you wait to call the players you want, knowing that other coaches could lure them away?

For the guys getting calls from coaches, this period is a time where you find out what coaches are chasing you and start to shape up a list of which of the Division I schools pursuing you you are interested in. Think about the schools that are calling you and ask yourself: what do you want in a school? Which is more important to you, playing time or a big name? How much do you value academics? Do you want to stay close to home? Would you prefer a bigger or smaller school?

For the guys not getting calls from coaches – it’s not the end of the road. There are a lot of things to start thinking about. Click here to learn more about factors to consider when picking a school. Call 866-497-9835 or click here to talk to a College Scout and make a recruiting game plan.